Taylor Claire L, Macdiarmid Jennifer I, Ross John A S, Osman Liesl M, Watt Stephen J, Adie Wendy, Crawford John R, Lawson Andrew
Department of Environmental & Occupational Medicine, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2006 Aug;32(4):310-7. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1015.
This study attempted to determine whether the higher prevalence of reported "forgetfulness or loss of concentration" among professional divers can be confirmed using objective neuropsychological tests. Secondary aims were to qualify the functional nature of the complaints and to ascertain whether reduced performance was linked to diving history.
In a case-control study, the neuropsychological test performance of divers complaining of moderate or severe "forgetfulness or loss of concentration" was compared with two age-matched control groups reporting no or slight "forgetfulness or loss of concentration" ("nonforgetful" divers and "nonforgetful" nondivers). The group differences were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of co-variance, followed by canonical discriminant function analysis. Altogether 102 divers with a complaint, 100 nonforgetful divers, and 100 nonforgetful nondivers completed the study.
The overall neuropsychological performance differed significantly between the groups [Pillai's trace: F(24,484)=2.04, P=0.003]. Verbal memory (Logical Memory and the California Verbal Learning Test), current intelligence (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence), and sustained attention (rapid visual processing) were poorer among the divers with a complaint than among the nonforgetful divers or the nonforgetful nondivers. The tests of memory, but not those of executive function, differentiated the divers with complaints from the two control groups. Mixed gas bounce diving and surface oxygen decompression diving, but not other techniques, were negatively associated with memory performance.
A cognitive complaint of divers was confirmed using objective tests of neuropsychological performance. Memory, rather than executive function, was affected at the group level, but only to a mild degree. The relationships between diving experience and neuropsychological test performance were small and only seen with diving techniques used in the offshore oil and gas industry.
本研究试图确定能否通过客观的神经心理学测试来证实职业潜水员中报告的“健忘或注意力不集中”患病率较高这一情况。次要目的是明确这些主诉的功能性质，并确定表现下降是否与潜水史有关。
在一项病例对照研究中，将抱怨中度或重度“健忘或注意力不集中”的潜水员的神经心理学测试表现与两个年龄匹配的对照组进行比较，这两个对照组分别报告无或仅有轻微“健忘或注意力不集中”（“无健忘”潜水员和“无健忘”非潜水员）。使用协方差多变量分析对组间差异进行分析，随后进行典型判别函数分析。共有102名有主诉的潜水员、100名无健忘的潜水员和100名无健忘的非潜水员完成了研究。
各组之间的总体神经心理学表现存在显著差异[皮莱迹：F(24,484)=2.04，P=0.003]。有主诉的潜水员在言语记忆（逻辑记忆和加利福尼亚言语学习测试）、当前智力（韦氏简式智力量表）和持续注意力（快速视觉处理）方面比无健忘的潜水员或无健忘的非潜水员差。记忆测试而非执行功能测试能够区分有主诉的潜水员与两个对照组。混合气体反复潜水和水面氧气减压潜水，而非其他技术，与记忆表现呈负相关。
通过神经心理学表现的客观测试证实了潜水员的认知主诉。在组水平上，受影响的是记忆而非执行功能，且程度较轻。潜水经历与神经心理学测试表现之间的关系较小，且仅在海上石油和天然气行业使用的潜水技术中可见。
